Fixing a Broken Song
by xXx0Risa0xXx
Summary: Ever since he could remember, Harry had been a freak, making strange, bad things happen, and it's always his fault. Now that Sirius is gone due to Harry's mistake, what does the Boy-Who-Lived have left? And who would want him around, anyway?
1. I Was Just A Little Too Late

**Author's note:** It'll be at the bottom of the page due to its length.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter, nor do I own Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, nor do I own the song Crow & The Butterfly. No ownage means no monies. No monies means no sue, 'cause you'll get nada but a buncha lawyer's fees. 'Sides, does it look like Harry's living with Remus and Sirius to you? No? What about Xander finally finding parents in Giles, Spike, Angel, and/or Joyce? Still nothing? Yeah, sooo doesn't sound like one of my fantasy worlds…

**Chapter 1: I Was Just A Little Too Late**

_I painted your room at midnight,_

_So I'd know that yesterday was over._

"Harry? What are you doing up so late?"

A thin, fey-like boy's brilliant emerald eyes gazed blankly from underneath untidy black locks at a tall red-head of roughly the same age, though you couldn't tell by looking at them. The red-head seemed about 15, which he was, while the other looked no older than 12, and that was pushing it. Where the red-head was tall and muscled, the other was short and wiry. The red-head was healthy, born of his environment. The other…was also born of his environment, and that left him in a state of health not to be desired.

Eyes finally alighting with recognition, the fey-like child smiled. It did not reach his eyes as he replied, "Oh, 'lo Ron."

The red-head sighed. "We all miss him, Harry," he began, reaching out to place a hand on his friend's shoulder, "But staying up all hours of the night isn't going to bring him back. Get some sleep mate, alright?"

Harry's eyes dropped to look at the ground as he forcibly hid a flinch from the touch. "Yeah," he said hoarsely, "Guess you're right. Night, Ron."

Ron studied his friend's face for a few seconds, and then nodded. "Things will turn out for the best, mate. Sirius would've wanted it that way." With that said, he turned to leave the room.

Harry let a pained smile cross his face before raising his wand to point at the wall. "Scourgify," he whispered, stripping the paint off of the wall with the force of the magic he pushed into the simple spell.

_I put all your books on the top shelf,_

_Even the one with the four-leaf clover…_

"Harry, have you seen _Spells and Rituals Through The Ages_ anywhere? I've tried _accio-_ing it, but I think it might be charmed for that not to work…"

Harry looked up from staring at the fireplace he'd once seen Sirius's head in the last school year to his bushy-haired bookworm friend. Her wild brown hair bounced with every small movement of her head, which she shook when he blinked at her owlishly.

"Honestly, Harry," she chided, "You need to get more sleep. How can you expect to pass your OWLs if you can't even follow a conversation?" She then turned on her heel to go bug Ron to see if he knew where her precious book was.

"That was Siri's book, 'Miony," he murmured, curling in in himself in the chair, "It was Siri's…"

_Man, I'm getting older._

"Another year, gone. And with it, goes our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Miss Umbridge…"

"_Harry!_" Hermione hissed, poking her dazed friend in the side, "Pay attention! Professor Dumbledore might say something important!"

"Sorry, 'Mione," Harry replied dully, his thoughts still elsewhere. Another year at Hogwarts was over, and he was doomed to return to Privet Drive, doomed to be alone once again. /_Was this what they meant by feeling old before one's time?_/ he mused absently.

_I took all your pictures off the wall,_

_And wrapped them in a newspaper blanket._

Harry stared at the picture in his hands, one of him, Sirius, and Remus. They'd taken it the previous summer at Grimmould Place, when they all still held the dream of living there together, once Siri's name was cleared, of course.

He gently placed the picture in a small moke-skin pouch he'd gotten from Sirius for his birthday the previous year. The pouch had an expanding charm, a notice-me-not charm, and a feather-weight charm on it, so he'd used it to pack everything that would normally go in his trunk. He also planted false items into his old trunk to fool his oh-so-loving relatives once he got off of the train.

"I miss you, Siri," he murmured, a single tear rolling down the side of his face.

_I haven't slept in what feels like a century,_

_And now I can barely breathe…_

"Boy! Get your things, we're leaving!"

"Yes, Uncle Vernon," Harry said dully, quickly putting away the gardening supplies he'd gotten out early that morning in order to finish the chores. He'd learned not to inflect his voice a long time ago if he wanted to avoid his Uncle's wrath for any period of time.

Going inside of the house, he realized for the first time that summer that everything had been boxed up, as if they were getting ready for a move. He hadn't slept in so long…every time he'd tried, he'd seen Siri's face as he'd fallen through the veil…Harry had to force himself to breathe; otherwise he might just stop all together, once and for all.

"Get a move on," a tall, thin, horse-like woman snapped, "The airplane won't wait for the likes of you, now will it?"

"Where are we going?" The words fell from his mouth before he could stop himself, and he cringed, waiting for the slap.

And so it came, hard and fast across his face, sending the small, waif-like boy reeling, along with the words, "Vernon's been transferred, you ungrateful little brat! We'll _all_ be moving to a town called Sunnydale. It's in California, in the United States."

_Just like a crow chasing a butterfly,_

_Dandelions lost in the summer skies,_

Harry had a window seat on the plane, the only member of his 'family' to be flying in the coach; the three Dursley's had first class tickets. He looked out of the window and wondered what his life would be like if…he closed his eyes briefly in pain, the death still a fresh wound on his heart.

_When you and I were getting high as outer space,_

_I never thought you would slip away._

His time with Sirius was like a dream, here was an adult that actually _saw _him, not The-Boy-Who-Lived him, but the _Just Harry_ him, and honestly liked what they saw. Sirius played the games he'd not been allowed to play while growing up with him, and acted like it was the most natural thing in the world. And even though Sirius was a wanted criminal /_Falsely convicted! He was innocent!_/, it was like he was always there, that he'd never leave.

_I guess I was just a little too late._

Harry looked at the small house just a few blocks away from the local high school. He sighed. /_If it weren't for me,_/ he thought sadly, dragging his trunk to the basement doors at the side of the house, /_I'd be living with Siri and Remy right now…_/

"Boy! We've enrolled you in the public school, the Freaks won't be saving you here!" his fat, walrus-of-an-uncle shouted from the main house. Harry paled, but resigned himself to his fate.

/_It's no more than I deserve,_/ he told himself firmly, /_This is what I get for not saving Sirius…_/

_Your words still serenade me,_

_You're lullabies won't let me sleep._

_I've never heard such a haunting melody…_

As Harry sat in the waiting area of the main office of the high school, he rubbed his eyes tiredly. He hadn't slept a wink since Sirius had died. Over and over in his head he kept on hearing Sirius asking him to come live with him, Sirius laughing at some prank the twins had pulled or some joke he'd said, Sirius telling him stories from his days at Hogwarts…Sirius holding him as he cried out all the pain from years without love, rocking him tenderly as he told him how much he loved him, how Harry would always be his and Remus's cub, Sirius's voice waking him up from a nightmare, telling him that it was okay, that he'd always be there…

"Mr. Potter, Principal Snyder will see you now."

Harry stood and slowly made his way to the principal's office. The principal, an ugly troll of a man, looked at him with disdain, as if he were a bug he'd like nothing better than to squash underfoot.

"Mr. Potter," Snyder began in a nasal, self-important tone, "Your Uncle has been so kind as to inform me of your previous enrolment at St. Brutus's Academy for Criminal Boys. You're probably hoping to look at going to this school as a fresh start, beginning over with a clean slate. Normally, this would be the case. However," here the man leaned forward, over his desk and finished sinisterly, "I'll be keeping my eye on you. Get your schedule from the front desk and get off to class."

As Harry left the room he heard the words, "Remember, Mr. Potter, I'll be watching!" and hid a shudder.

_Oh, it's killing me…_

Harry opened the door to the library, rubbing his eyes tiredly as he looked around for the librarian. To his surprise, he saw a group of kids he'd seen in some of his classes—a blond girl, a red-headed girl, and a pair of brunettes, one boy and one girl—sitting around a table littered with books on magic and demonology.

"Bloody hell," he murmured, shaking his head. At his soft exclamation, the blond girl and the brunette girl's heads jerked up to look at him. The other two, following their gazes, began to look at him too. He flushed slightly under their gaze, and decided against asking them about what they were reading.

"Err, would you mind if I were to study in here? I'm a bit behind in, well, everything," he said a bit sheepishly. The four exchanged a few quick glances before seeming to come to a decision. They all stood up and walked over to him, smiles on all of their faces.

"Sure, I can even tutor you, if you want! I'm Willow, by the way," the red-head said in a bubbly voice. Harry couldn't help but smile back at her, her good humor was just that contagious.

"Thanks," he said with a sigh of relief, "That'd be brilliant. Usually I've got my friend 'Mione to help, but she's back at my old school. She's always yelling at me and Ron to study, if you'd ask her, she'd say that the worst thing in the world that could happen to someone is being expelled." Noticing the mild amusement on their faces from his babbling, he bowed his head and said, "Sorry, usually Ron or 'Mione would've cut me off by now…"

He felt a stab of pain at their amusement; that was Sirius's reaction the first time he'd seen him babble. He really missed Sirius, with every fiber of his being. Sirius was a father and a best friend all rolled into one, and it was _his_ fault he was gone.

_You know I can barely breathe?_

"Don't worry about it," the brunet boy said, waving his hand dismissively, "Our Wills here is the Queen of Babble. We all do it, eventually. It drives Giles mad. Oh, and I'm Xander. Are you new here?"

"Err, yes, I am. Is it that obvious?" The blond smiled.

"Well, yeah, it is. The only other person from the Land of Tea and Tweed around here is Giles, our librarian." She reached out a hand and said, "I'm Buffy. This is Faith," here she pointed to the brunette girl, "Nice to meet you…?"

Harry reflexively reached out to shake her hand and replied, "Harry, Harry Potter. It's nice to meet all of you, as well."

"Dear lord, are you really?" a British voice exclaimed from behind him.

Harry turned sharply towards the new voice, his hand inching to the wand in his pocket. Before him stood a tall man with greying hair and glasses, dressed in a rust-colored tweed suit. /_That explains the _Land of Tea and Tweed_ comment,_/ he thought distractedly.

"Who are you?" Harry asked suspiciously. The man took off his glasses and began to clean them on his shirt.

"How could I forget my manners? My name is Rupert Giles, I'm the school librarian. Now, are you _really_ Harry Potter? _The_ Harry Potter?" Giles said, putting his glasses back on, a look of academic interest on his face. Willow, Buffy, Faith and Xander look on with a mix of confusion, suspicion, and curiosity. Harry just sighed tiredly and nodded.

He hated his fame. Because of being The-Boy-Who-Didn't-Just-Bloody-_Die_, Cedric had died, Mr. Weasley had almost died, his friends had followed him into perilous danger, and Sirius, his only hope for a better, _normal_ family, had been killed. Just the thought of it made his breath catch in this throat.

_Just like a crow chasing a butterfly,_

"Astonishing," Giles murmured before asking, "Then is He truly back?"

"Yes, He's back. Didn't you hear? Fudge was sacked because He was seen at the Ministry," Harry replied bitterly, filled with self-loathing from remembering the battle at the Ministry. Why couldn't Voldemort just leave him be? He was just Harry, a teenage wizard that hadn't even finished his schooling. What sort of threat could he possible pose to a wizard more than thirty years his senior? Oh, yes, the prophesy. Told by none other than that fake, Trawleny. He hated that prophesy almost as much as he hurt from all the deaths that occurred because of him.

_Dandelions lost in the summer skies,_

"Fudge was sacked? Oh, well, I suppose Remus just forgot to mention that…"

Harry's eyes brightened slightly. "Remus? As in Remus Lupin? You know him?" he asked hopefully.

Giles nodded. "Yes, the very same. He's my younger brother." Harry blinked in confusion. Since when did Remus have an older brother. "From the look on your face, I take it he's never mentioned me," Giles said good naturedly, nearly hiding the accusation in his voice.

"Remy doesn't talk about himself too much. Most of what I know about him, Siri—" His voice broke as Harry bit back a sob. He looked at the ground to regain his composure so he missed the looks of concern that passed over his head, and the tall, tired, amber-eyed man that had followed Giles into the library. Once (mostly) calm, Harry finished, "Siri…Sirius told me almost everything I know about Remus. Remy usually only told me about…about Mum and Dad."

/_That, and about how much he was looking forward to living with me and Siri…_/ Harry thought bitterly, /_But look what happened to_ that_ dream._/

_When you and I were getting high as outer space,_

_I never thought you would slip away._

_I guess I was just a little too late._

Giles looked pointedly at his younger sibling, who was gaining odd looks from all of the teens besides Harry, who was still looking at the ground. Remus hesitated for a second before heading over to his cub to pull him into a tight, warm hug, filled with the promise of a loving family.

_Just like a crow chasing a butterfly,_

_Dandelions lost in the summer skies,_

_When you and I were getting high as outer space,_

_I never thought you would slip away!_

Harry tensed for a few seconds before he realized just who was holding him. He relaxed into the hug, returned it, and closed his eyes, breathing in the scent of one of the two men he thought of as a parental figure…well, the only one now, at any rate.

"I'm sorry, cub," Remus said softly to the now silently sobbing teen, "I should've stopped him from going. I'm so sorry for letting you lose Sirius…" Harry shook his head ferociously, hugging the werewolf even tighter.

"It's not your fault, Remy," Harry said, his face muffled from being buried in Remus's chest, "It's my fault. I shouldn't have trusted Kreature, and I should've been trying harder with Snape…If it weren't for me, he'd still be here!"

Remus began rubbing soothing circles on Harry's back and carding his fingers through his cub's hair. "Shh, cub, it's alright. Siri would be proud of the way he went, protecting the thing he cared about most. It'll be okay, cub, it has to be. I can't lose you too…"

_Just like a crow chasing a butterfly,_

_Dandelions lost in the summer skies,_

Harry finally pulled away from the hug, and Remus just held him at an arm's length and studied him. His eyes narrowed at the dark circles under the boy's eyes, and the way he held himself, as if recovering from broken or bruised ribs. He remembered what he and Sirius had found out when they were researching their cub's home life when they were preparing to gain guardianship over him, and he looked Harry directly in the eyes.

"Harry," he began seriously, "Does the Order know you're here?" Harry flinched and averted his eyes. "Oh, cub," he said sadly, gently maneuvering Harry to a chair to sit down, "They got worse, didn't they?" Shocked, Harry jerked his face up to look at Remus with horror.

"You knew?" he asked, terrified. /_But if he knew, why didn't anyone _do_ anything?_/ Harry wailed mentally. Remus looked over at his brother, completely ignoring the other three teens in the library, despite the fact that something about the blond and brunette girls sent his senses on edge.

"Rupes," he said seriously, "I know you've got a kit somewhere. Get it for me?" Giles looked confused for a second before it dawned on him, and then his face turned grave. Giving his brother a terse nod, he left to get a first-aid kit. Looking back at Harry, Remus said, "Sirius and I…we found out a few days before he…before he died. We wanted to get you away from it, but once Sirius died…just like before, I was denied guardianship because of my…furry little problem."

"But you tried?" Harry asked desperately.

_When you and I were getting high as outer space,_

"Yes, cub. And I still haven't stopped trying. I actually came here to get Rupes's help. As a member of the International Watcher's Council, he's got a lot of potential pull at the Ministry…" Remus said, trailing off as Giles returned with the first-aid kit. "Thanks, Rupes." Giles shook his head and reached out a hand to ruffle his brother's hair fondly.

"How many times must I tell you to not refer to me by that infernal nick-name?" he griped playfully, giving the impression that this was an argument more of habit rather than actual exasperation. Remus grinned widely, a hint of the old Marauder spirit shining in his face.

"At least one more time, big bro."

_I never thought you would slip away._

"So," Giles said, sitting next to the four teens, across from Harry who had been pulled into Remus's lap, "I take it this is why you came to visit after all of these years?" Remus winced, but nodded. "Sorry, Remus, but I can't help you." Remus's eyes first grew large, then narrow and cold, his hold on Harry becoming protective.

_I guess I was just a little too late._

"If you don't help, Rupert," Remus said with a cold certainty that set off the four teens next to Giles's Danger-Sense, "Then I will have to _obliviate_ you. I can't, and I won't, let Harry stay with those monsters any longer. Even if it means that I have to sort to drastic measures." Harry looked up at Remus, confusion and the tiniest hint of hope written on his face. Why would Remus try so hard, care so much, for the likes of him? He was broken, a Freak even among freaks, it didn't make sense for Remus to be risking his relationship with his brother for someone like _him_.

Remus looked down at Harry and smiled sadly, knowing what was probably running through his cub's mind. "You are worth it, cub," he said tenderly, his face showing nothing but paternal love and devotion for the young abused boy, "You are worth everything and more. And if Sirius were here, he'd tell you the same thing."

To be continued…

**Author's note, take two:** Okay, so I came up with this totally randomly while I was singing this song to myself while doing the laundry. Strange, I know, but that's how it happened. The other chapters might be songfics as well, I don't know for sure yet, but it's a major possibility. It all depends on my muse, who's decided to be difficult and isn't returning my calls. I think it left me 'cause I ran out of Pocky…note to self: get more Pocky, a.s.a.p. Well, hope y'all enjoy this little plot bunny, while it lasts…DUN DUN DUN! Oh, and while I'm at it, just a quick warning to my readers: I'm VERY bad at regularly updating my stories, but I _do_ update them. So I'll type up the next chapter and update this story…eventually…fingers crossed…


	2. Such A Tired Game

**Author's note: **Alright, here's the second chapter of _Fixing a Broken Song_! It's a bit less dark than last chapter, but not too much. I'm still looking for a beta, so any offers would be welcome. The quality of this chapter might be a little odd, as I'm still not quite sure where this story is going…so suggestions on where I should go with this story would also be nice. I don't know what pairings I'm going to have in this story, other than GilesXJoyce, so I'm going to do a poll. Review with suggested pairings or send me a PM, and there will be a tally at the bottom of the next three chapters to determine the winners. Any road (don't you just love British slang?), hope y'all like it! Oh, and please no SLASH or femSLASH suggestions. Not that I don't enjoy reading/writing a good SLASHfic, but it seems like that's all I end up writing lately, and I really need to work on heterosexual relations between my characters…it's sad, I have an easier time writing a convincing gay relationship than a straight one, when I'm straighter than the radius of a sphere…Also, next chapter will take a while, not only do I have no clue where I'm going with this fic, I'm clueless as to what song to use for the next chapter. That being said, on with the show!

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. Oh, and the song is F***ing Perfect by P!nk, the clean version because I didn't feel like using the explicit one. But still, no owanage of anything. I even bum meals off my friends. It's sad, but true. Don't sue, 'cause I got nada. Unless you want my clothes, but that's just creepy. *shudders* Bad images, bad images!

**Chapter 2: Such a Tired Game**

_Made a wrong turn once or twice. _

_Dug my way out, blood and fire._

Remus continued to glare defiantly at his older brother, willing him to help. He knew his brother had done things in his past that went way against the rules, Chaos Magycs weren't exactly kosher, but was now on the 'respectable' side of things. However, that didn't mean he'd thought his brother could have become so callous as to leave Harry with that_ filth_ that dared to be called his family!

He was no saint himself, obviously. If he had been, then maybe _he_ could have been Secret Keeper for James and Lilly instead of that rat, Peter. Yes, Remus knew he had taken a few wrong turns in his life, but he'd more than made up for it with the sweat and tears of hard work! He'd let Harry down one time to many for his liking, and he was damned if he was going to do so again!

"Remus, it's not that I don't _want_ to help you," Giles said with a heavy sigh, "I truly _can't_. I've, well, to be perfectly honest the Council's all but given me the boot. My…replacement…is to arrive within the week."

_Bad decisions, that's all right._

Remus frowned. "Why'd they do something like that?" Then he paled slightly, "It wasn't because they found out about me, was it? I know Travers has that policy about…family issues…" Giles shook his head fondly.

"No, Remus," Giles said with a light chuckle, "They _still_ don't know about our family's little black sheep. Rather, they believe that I have taken too many…liberties, as it were…with my Slayer."

_Welcome to my silly life._

Remus raised an eyebrow. "_You_? Mister has-a-stick-so-far-up-his-arse-he-walks-funny? Taking 'liberties'? Why, Rupes, it's almost like Ripper's back in town," he said jokingly, still holding Harry gently in his arms. Remus sighed. "I just wish there was some way for me to gain custody over you right now, cub…" Giles, Buffy, Xander, Faith, and Willow all winced simultaneously. "What?" Remus asked, tilting his head to the side.

_Mistreated, misplaced, misunderstood,_

"Wish granted," a woman's voice said from behind Harry and Remus.

"_That's_ what," Giles said with a grimace, "You don't say 'I w-i-s-h' on the Hellmouth. They're called 'vengeance demons' for a reason."

Remus and Harry turned around to see the demon, a tall brunette woman with a scary, veiny, obviously demonic visage.

"I represent that statement," the demon said, her face changing to look like that of a beautiful human woman's, "However, unlike many of my colleagues, I don't tend to twist my wishes. The name's Halifrak, I grant wishes for children in bad situations." She turned to Harry and said with a soft smile, "You have no idea how long I've waited for someone to wish something good for you on the Hellmouth, sweetie." Harry's face was covered with confusion.

"Why me?" he asked softly, "Why now?" Remus hugged him tighter, and kissed the top of his head comfortingly. Halifrak smiled again.

"Helping you is a priority for all vengeance demons, honey. But we needed the combined power of a wish made on the Hellmouth and a wish made out of love to do so; the wards surrounding you were too strong, otherwise." Remus felt a cold chill run down his spine.

"It was Dumbledore, wasn't it?" he asked suddenly, bring the room's attention to him, "He's the one that kept you from helping my cub?"

_Miss "no way it's all good",_

Halifrak nodded. "He found out how to block us once he realized that _we_ were what destroyed Voldemort." Harry frowned.

"Why?' he asked softly, trying to hide in Remus's arms when they turned to look at him before continuing, "Why did you do it?" Seeing that everyone seemed curious as to the answer, Halifrak smiled viciously.

"Your mother performed a very powerful ritual before she died. Her sacrifice for you just made it all the more powerful."

"And what was the ritual?" Giles asked curiously. If possible, the demon's grin grew even larger.

"In exchange for her magic," Remus and Giles gasped; giving up one's magic was akin to suicide, what with how closely entwined a person's magical core was with their soul, "All demons in proximity to the ritual were to give the person of her choosing their highest protection. One of us just happened to be closest when that protection began. The fact that it was someone chosen by prophesy that we had to protect…the possibility for vengeance was endless. Or, at least, it was until you were placed under those damned wards of Dumbledore's."

_It didn't slow me down._

Remus shook his head and laughed quietly. After noticing that Giles and his four teenagers were looking at him like he was crazy, he smirked at them. "Don't you get it, Rupes?" he asked, still chuckling, "Lilly gave the cub of the Marauders nearly limitlessly powerful bodyguards, ones that essentially tend to 'prank' their victims." Giles' face blanked for a few seconds, but then he started to laugh as well.

"Giles!" Buffy exclaimed, shock in her eyes, "How can this be _funny_ to you? We're dealing with a 'W'-word here!" She exchanged glances with the other teens before looking back at Giles and Remus, who were just grinning broadly.

"We've just pranked the entire Wizarding World!" they crowed, and Remus continued, "And they can't do _anything_ about it!"

_Mistaken, always second guessing, _

_Underestimated, look, I'm still around…_

"Um…I take it that's a _good_ thing?" Xander asked hesitantly. Remus barred his teeth in a feral grin, his sharper-than-normal canines glinting in the light of the small library.

"Oh, it's better than good," he said smugly, "It's bloody _brilliant_!" He then turned into lecture mode and continued, "There are three…factions, if you will, that make up the British Wizarding community; He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and his Death Eaters, the Ministry of Magic, and Albus Dumbledore and his Order of the Phoenix. Dumbledore is supposed to be the leader of the Light, though if what I'm beginning to suspect is true, Dumbledore is nearly as bad as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, albeit more subtle in his cruelty. He cast the Fidelius charm for the Potters, he was the executor of Lilly and James' will, he was Harry's magical guardian while Sirius was in Azkaban…now that I think about it, he's also Head of the Wizgamot, he could've gotten Siri a trial when he was framed for Peter's murder…" His amber eyes flashed dangerously as he snarled, "Damn that old coot! I wouldn't be surprised if he knew about or even sanctioned the Dursleys…" Harry winced and burrowed as deep into Remus' arms as he could. Giles' eyes narrowed dangerously.

_ /These _Dursleys_ remind me too much of those damnable wastes-of-space young Xander is required to return to daily,/ _Giles mused angrily before he sternly asked, "Harry, did Dumbledore know about your home life?" Everyone's eyes turned to the thin, trembling child in Remus' arms as his eyes filled with tears of shame.

"I told him after First Year; I wanted to stay at the castle over the summer, but he always made me go back…" Harry managed to get out before his throat closed from held-back sobs of self-disgust. Remus automatically began to rub soothing circles on his cub's back as he lightly kissed the top of his head.

"Shh, I'm here, Prongslet, I'm here and I'm never leaving you again. I promise," he cooed softly into those eternally messy locks of ebony hair.

_Pretty, pretty please, _

_Don't you ever, ever feel, _

_Like you're less than, _

_Less than perfect!_

Xander walked over to Harry and Remus, a sad, understanding look on his face. He squatted down next to them and waited until Harry looked up at him. He grinned lopsidedly and murmured softly in a tone that spoke of personal experience, "It's not your fault, you know. No matter how much it feels like it is, you didn't deserve those things to happen to you. But you do deserve having someone to care about you." Harry's eyes watered, and he shook his head slightly.

_Pretty, pretty please, _

_If you ever, ever feel, _

_Like you're nothing,_

"Bad things always seem to happen to the people around me," Harry whispered, his eyes closing to hide the painful emotions threatening to spill, "_Especially_ when they care about me, or I care about them. If it weren't for me, they'd all be fine, how can it _not_ be my fault?" Willow and Buffy exchanged glances, they weren't quite sure what to make of this kid. He was like an emotional roller-coaster, going from the shy new kid to a dangerous unknown, only to turn around once again to become someone who's been broken and hurt one too many times. Faith's eyes dimmed with a guarded, empathic understanding, and she rubbed her wrists as if to stave off a phantom day-mare.

_You are perfect to me._

"Because it isn't, sweetie," Halifrak cooed, walking over to Harry and squatting down next to him in order to look him directly in the face, "Take it from someone who knows this sort of thing for a living, _none_ of it is your fault. But just say the word, and you'll have _armies_ after the ones whose fault it is." She nodded approvingly when Remus lovingly kissed the top of Harry's head and never ceased to cradle his cub to his chest. As if just remembering what had bothered the Scooby Gang in the first place, she turned to face the former Watcher and said, "The conditions of the wish are simple, I made little Harry here biologically related to three of the people in this room." Giles frowned in consideration.

"Remus and myself, I can understand, he's probably now a father making me an uncle, but who is the third?" Giles asked after a pause. Halifrak grinned evilly.

_You're so mean when you talk _

_About yourself, you are wrong!_

"Being the amazing demon that I am, I fulfilled a second wish to go along with the one dear Remus uttered aloud. What with all of the power behind the wish, it was rather hard not to…" Halifrak said haughtily, smirking at the clearly non-amused faces looking back at her.

_Change the voices in your head; _

_Make them like you instead._

"Get on with it!" Giles snapped, his patience worn thin from everything that was going on so suddenly. The demon nodded, and then turned to face Xander, whose face was laced with worry and apprehension.

"Bu-but I didn't wish for anything!" he insisted frantically, looking at everyone else in the room desperately,_ /I only thought about how nice it would be to have someone care about me as much as Remus seems to care about Harry…/_ Halifrak just smiled soothingly.

"It's okay, honey-bunch," she said sweetly, "I just answered the wish you've been hiding close to your heart for years." Xander blanched. He_ really _hoped she wasn't talking about the dream with the boat, Jesse, a six-pack of beer and a rubber chicken, because _some_ things just aren't meant to leave the realm of imagination…

_So complicated, look how big you'll make it!_

"Harry, you are now the biological son of one Dr. Rupert Edmund Giles, who signed custody over to his half-brother, one Remus John Lupin, and younger twin brother to one Alexander Lavelle Harris, currently in the custody of your father, said Dr. Giles. I've also given your guardian the house next door, so you can live next to your new family. All of this, of course, does have a paper trail, as it were, in both the muggle world and the wizarding world," Halifrak stated plainly. Everyone in the room blinked, before they all started talking at the same time.

"Wait, _I'm_ the father?" Giles.

"_He's_ the father?" Remus.

"I've got a twin?" Xander.

"Giles is a dad?" Buffy.

"X-man's English now?" Faith.

"Oh Goddess, Xander's not a Harris anymore!" Willow.

"I'm a _big brother_." Xander.

"_You're_ the father?" Remus.

"I've got family!" Xander.

"But what…what about James and Lilly?" Harry.

At Harry's innocent question, everyone quieted down and looked at him, making the shy teen flush a deep red. Halifrak's eyes softened knowingly; she reached out slowly and carefully to pat him lightly on the shoulder, as if he was a spooked, cornered wild animal.

"Don't worry about that, cupcake, they're still your parents. You and Alexander have the same father, Rupert here, but your other parents were still your parents. Look at it as…as being blood-adopted, and Rupert's blood has the strongest claim." Harry frowned for a few seconds, and then nodded.

"Okay," he said softly.

Giles looked fondly at the teen wrapped in his half-brother's arms before looking consideringly at the vengeance demon before asking, "As welcome as your not warping the fabric of reality is," he stated, drawing her attention, "I do wonder why you didn't do so." Halifrak shrugged.

"Vengeance is best served when the one it's being wreaked upon has the chance to realize it is happening to them." When Halifrak received blank stares at this statement, she sighed before clarifying, "If I had changed reality to the extent we normally do, Dumbledore would never know just how badly his plans had failed." There was a collective 'Oh, duh' moment for everyone in the room.

_Filled with so much hatred, such a tired game. _

_It's enough, I've done all I can think of,_

"Well," Halifrak said, standing up and stretching the kinks out of her spine, "My job is done. You have a nice life, okay cutie pie?" And with that, she just vanished into thin air. Harry looked shyly at his new family, still blushing from earlier.

"Can…can I call you Dad, and Remus Papa?" he asked timidly, trying to quell the hope burning in his chest. He'd wanted to call Remus 'Papa' ever since Sirius had started talking about adopting him with Remy, he was going to be Dad and Remy was going to be Papa. Harry hoped that Giles would let him call the man Dad, considering that was what he was now. Remus smiled, as did Giles.

"Of course you can cub," Remus said as Giles stated, "I wouldn't have it any other way, my boy." Harry's new smile, though small, seemed to brighten the entire room. Xander was looking between Remus, Giles, and Harry with awe in his face. He went over to Harry and held out his arms, silently encouraging the younger teen into a hug. Harry hesitated for a second before practically flinging himself into his new brother's arms, which were then wrapped protectively around him.

"I won't ever abandon you, little bro," Xander whispered into Harry's ear. Harry beamed up at his brother with teary eyes and nodded shyly.

_Chased down all my demons, _

_I've seen you do the same!_

"Rupes," Remus said, gazing fondly at his cubs, "You know this means your Xander is probably going to be a wizard now, right? And as a twin to my Harry, he'll be a damned powerful one. They're going to have to go back to Hogwarts at one point."

"Dear Lord," Giles said in a shocked tone before sighing and removing his glasses to clean them with his shirt, "I do suppose you're right. He will be…" He frowned pensively. "We'll have to bring them up to speed in each other subjects…perhaps we can use that one spell…yes, that will do nicely…" He continued to mumble as he wandered off into his office, where he then proceeded to rummage through his desk drawers. Eventually he found his way back to the rest of the group, with a pile of herbs and mystical instruments that he unceremoniously dumped onto the table.

"Umm, say, Da—uh, I mean, G-Man?" Xander asked, feeling a bit nervous, "What exactly are you going to do? I mean, we all know the mojo goes wonky around me." He bit his lip anxiously; he'd almost called Giles _Dad_, which was as far as he was concerned, not of the good. He didn't know if Giles wanted him as a son or not…he was so confused!

_Pretty, pretty please, _

_Don't you ever, ever feel, _

_Like you're less than, _

_Less than perfect!_

Giles looked at Xander, a bemused smile tugging at the edges of his lips. "Xander my boy," he said paternally, "As you are now under my care as my son, I insist you cease to use that infernal nickname and simply call me Dad. If your new brother can do it, I dare say you can." Xander's smile shocked those in the room that knew him; it was one they'd never seen before. Well, one that none but Willow had seen before; and the last time _she'd_ seen it was back when Jesse was alive.

_Pretty, pretty please, _

_If you ever, ever feel, _

_Like you're nothing, _

_You are perfect to me._

"Okay, Dad," Xander replied, his voice a near whisper. Harry looked up at his brother, and they shared awed looks over the fact that they now had family…family that actually _wanted_ them, wanted to be a part of their lives. Shaking himself out of his shocked state, Xander looked back at Giles and repeated, "So, umm, about the mojo. It goes wonky with me, so what's the what? How can I be magic, if the mojo doesn't like me?" Rupert frowned, considering for a few seconds. His eyes lit up and with a mumbled "Good Lord!" he removed his glasses once again and began to furiously clean them off with his shirt.

"What's got your knickers in a bunch, Rupes?" Remus asked, tilting his head to the side questioningly. Giles stopped cleaning his glasses to blink at his brother.

"Remus, how do the Earthly Magycs react to an untrained wizard's core?" Remus blinked, then his eyes widened.

"Merlin's beard, he was a wizard all along!" Remus gasped, looking at his cubs—Mooney had already claimed the new addition to his family as pack—with awe. He then frowned consideringly. "He must have constantly been on the Hellmouth to have never been noticed by the American Ministry before now…"

_The world stares so I swallow my fear,_

"Undoubtedly." Giles started grinding herbs in a bowl before looking up at Xander to say, "Xander, I'll need a few drops of blood to make this work properly. Harry; yours too, if you wouldn't mind." Harry curled into his new brother, whimpering lightly. Xander looked down at him in concern.

"You okay?" he asked softly. Harry looked up, his eyes wide with fear.

"I know it's not for anything bad, but…" Harry took in a deep shuddering breath as everyone in the room paused to look at the frightened teen, "The last time my b-blood—" Harry's voice broke and he shuddered visibly, realization and horror filling Remus's eyes, "Was needed for a ritual…" Harry's voice faded off into a whisper as he finished, "_He_ came back."

_The only thing I should be drinking is an ice cold beer._

Remus walked over to his cubs and wrapped his arms around them both, offering what support he could. Buffy and Willow exchanged lost looks, they had no clue how to deal with all of the emotional baggage that was being aired in front of them. Faith had a look of longing, mixed with one of painful understanding flashing through her eyes. She wrapped her arms protectively around her waist, wishing she had a beer, or a cigarette, something, _anything_ to make the emotions floating around a bit more bearable.

"Hey, I'm no fan of donating blood either," Xander said with a small smirk, "Actually, given the choice? I'd avoid it at all costs. What with all the vamps around here, I'm already a walking Happy Meal; no need to add to the temptation, ya know? But you're not the only one getting pricked this time: focus on that little tidbit, okay?" Harry nodded, and both boys reached out their hands over the bowl-full of ingredients Giles had been putting together. A quick slice of the palm to each boy's hand, a few drops of blood into the bowl, and a swift healing charm courtesy of Remus preceded a light shooting from Harry's head to Xander's. Both boys' eyes rolled into the backs of their heads, and if it weren't for Remus's arms wrapped around them, they'd have fallen to the floor in two gangly heaps.

_So cool in lying and we try, try, try,_

"Umm, what just happened?" Buffy asked after a moment's silence. Giles turned to look at her while Remus carefully carried his cubs over to some nearby chairs so he could put them down.

"It was a transfer spell," he said, methodically cleaning up the residue from casting the spell, "I copied and transferred all of the relevant information young Harry here has learned so far at his school to Xander, so that when Xander joins Harry for the up and coming school year, he won't be in over his head, as the saying goes. The reverse also occurred for Harry, he gained all of the relevant information Xander has learned about the Mundane world and schooling. I wouldn't be surprised if he will have gained all of the information on Demonology our Xander has gleaned, as well."

_But we try too hard, it's a waste of my time._

Willow's eyes gleamed for a few seconds before she asked, "Could you do that for me, too? I've been learning some spells from your books, Giles, and this could make it so much easier for me to help out with the slayage!" Giles frowned sternly at Willow.

"I do not believe that would be a good idea, Willow," he began, "You are learning Wicca, the Earthly Magycs; it's an entirely different type of magic, and with good reason. With magic users like Remus, Harry and Xander, knowledge itself does no harm; it uses internal energies, thus making mind magics safe to use. Wicca, on the other hand, is a more structured form of magic; like its name, it comes from outside of the practitioner. As such, it's very principles do not allow for any mind magics to be performed, not without turning dark. As you are a Wiccan witch, Willow, I cannot allow this form of magic to be performed on or by you." Willow pouted, but nodded in understanding.

_Done looking for the critics, cause they're everywhere, _

_They don't like me jeans, _

_They don't get my hair._

"Let's get the cubs home, shall we?" Remus asked his brother, looking down at Xander and Harry with tender eyes. Giles nodded, the corners of his mouth quirking up into a smile as he watched his younger half-brother and his (new) children with fondness.

Turning to Buffy and Faith Giles asked, "Will you be alright to patrol tonight?" Buffy smirked and Faith rolled her eyes.

"Sure thing, Giles."

"Five by five, G."

"Ah, thank you. Remus, if you'll get the boys, I'll show you the way." Giles said, grabbing his car keys. Remus nodded, and carefully gathered up his cubs before following Giles out of the library.

"What happened to the dweeb?" a sharp voice called out when the brothers reached Giles' car. They turned to look at the speaker.

_Exchange ourselves and we do it all the time, _

_Why do we do that? _

_Why do I do that? _

_Why do I do that?_

"Ah, Cordelia, Xander is simply suffering the after-affects of a spell he assisted me with. I trust you're doing well?" Giles commented. Cordy rolled he eyes.

"Other than my eyes bleeding from looking at those atrocities Xander insists on calling clothes, I'm good. Who's the hunk?" Cordy replied, staring unabashedly at Remus. Remus blushed and looked at Giles to avoid her gaze.

"That 'hunk', as you put it, is my brother, Remus Lupin. Forgive me, Cordelia, but we really must be going. Take care," Giles said, helping Remus place the boys in the back seat of his car while Remus slipped into the passenger seat.

"Alright," Cody said in a mildly confused tone, "Take care yourself."

_Ooh, Pretty pretty please, don't you ever ever feel, _

_Like you're less then, less than perfect._

They reached Giles' house fairly quickly, and placed the boys on the bed in Giles' guest room. They exchanged fond glances over the sleeping duo's heads before heading to the kitchen.

"Tea?" Giles asked, heading towards the cabinets over the stove.

"That would be lovely," Remus replied, leaning against the doorway. The half-brothers soon found themselves sitting across from each other at the kitchen table, nursing their respective cups of tea.

"I wonder, to which house was the demon referring?" Remus mused aloud. Giles simply raised an eyebrow and shrugged. A stack of papers along with an envelope popped onto the table between them rather suddenly, causing the two men to start slightly.

Recovering from the event, Giles smirked and replied, "No doubt you will find your answer in there, Remus." Remus rolled his eyes and reached for the documents.

"Very funny, Rupes." He scanned the documents-the deed to a house, birth certificates for the boys, adoption papers for Harry, the deeds for two motorbikes, and a joint bank account for himself and Giles-and opened the envelope to find muggle IDs for himself, Xander and Harry, as well as the keys to his new house and both his and Harry's new motorbikes. "Do you suppose Harry knows how to ride a motorbike?" Giles frowned.

"Why do you ask?" Remus jangled the keys.

"He's now the proud owner of a Harley-Davidson." He sighed, and rubbed his temples. "I'm not so sure I'm cut out for this, Rupert. Don't misunderstand, I love my cubs, but can I really be a father?"

_Pretty pretty please, if you ever ever feel, _

_Like you're nothing, you are perfect, to me!_

Giles smiled softly before getting up. He walked around the table and placed a hand on his younger sibling's shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly.

"Remus, you love Harry as if he were your own son; you have for years. Now, he _is_ your son. You're a smashing father, no doubt about that." Remus blushed and looked down at his mug of tea.

_You're perfect! You're perfect!_

"Thanks, Rupes," he Said softly. Giles smiled and went back to his chair.

"Not at all. Now, let's go see about this house of yours, shall we?" Remus nodded, grabbing the keys on the table in order to go see his new house.

The two brothers tried the doors to both of the surrounding houses, but to no avail. Frowning, they looked at the mansion (last occupied by Angel) across the street.

"Do you suppose..." Remus tailed off. They exchanged glances before hurrying over to try the door. The key fit in perfectly.

_Pretty pretty please, if you ever feel,_

_Like you're less then, less than perfect._

_Pretty pretty please, If you ever ever feel,_

_Like you're nothing, you are perfect,_

_To me._

"Feel like moving in with your younger brother, Rupes?" Remus asked, staring in awe of the Mic-Mansion that now belonged to him and his cub. Giles nodded absently, numb with shock at the prospect of living in such an extravagant home.

"Let's deal with this in the morning, shall we?" he said, dragging his brother back to his own home, "Perhaps things will make more sense in the morning."

_to be continued..._


End file.
